5 Popular Myths About Losing Weight

You might be a victim to the thousands of weight loss programs out there promising you to lose weight fast. Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Weight management is a billion-dollar industry that continuously lures in consumers looking for the quickest and easiest way to lose weight.

When it comes to weight management, nothing that you can do quickly can have long-term effects. Weight loss is a commitment more than it is a product that you buy. It’s smart to be skeptic of anything that promises fast results, especially when it comes to weight loss. Even so, there are several myths going around that many people believe would help them lose weight.

Here are just a few of the popular myths about losing weight:

“Targeted” fat loss

The idea that if you focus working out on a specific area of your body, the quicker it would be to lose fat in that area. Take sit-ups as an example. Many people do sit-ups thinking that it would trim some inches off their waist. What’s really happening is that sit-ups strengthen your abdominal muscles. Body fat on your belly however, is burnt regardless where you focus your workout on. Fat is basically stored energy on your body. When you workout, your body burns fat – not just in your belly, but in your arms, legs, thighs. Hey, it’s great that nature designed it to work this way. Would you rather have a rockin’ belly and a fat behind? I don’t think so

Don’t eat after 7

OK, so this myth has been going around for more than a decade now. The good news is, you can have your dinner as late as you want. You’ve probably had friends who eat dinner as late as 11pm and they don’t have a weight problem. The real issue is what you eat before you sleep. If you’re stuffing a juicy steak in the middle of the night, then obviously you can’t expect to lose weight. It’s more about minding what and how much you eat, rather than when you eat.

Greens always help you lose weight

Don’t get me wrong; green, leafy vegetables are healthy. The problem is the stuff you put in it to make it a little tastier, like salad dressing. Salad dressing often contain high amounts of calories. Let’s face it. I’ve tasted regular Coke and Coke Zero, and I’ve come to the conclusion that calories taste so damn good. If you’re committing yourself to a green diet, you better watch what you put in it to taste better.

Blending food helps you lose weight

With the popularity of smoothies at its all-time high, many people now believe that blending your food helps you lose weight. On the contrary, it might actually cause you to gain weight. Your body uses energy to do everything – including eating and digestion. The more energy you use, the more fat you burn. By blending your food, you make it easier for your body to process your food, turning the energy that would have been used during eating into fat.

Negative calorie food

This takes a little bit out of #4. There is a new belief that certain kinds of food would help you lose weight because it burns off more calories to digest than what it adds on to your body. Among those “negative calorie foods” are celery, lettuce, and grapefruit. I find it ridiculous to think that if I only had lettuce to eat, I would starve to death. A calorie is a calorie. It’s a cycle.